Thursday, January 19, 2006

More Housing Discrimination Against Katrina Victims

Can we just admit we're a racist nation? In a previous post I wrote about housing discrimination by online charities providing housing to Katrina victims. Now the feds are starting an ad campaign to remind tenants and landlords that housing discrimination against Katrina victims is illegal. Why you ask? Because landlords are discriminating against African American Katrina victims.....

HUD officials said the office has received 87 allegations of housing discrimination from evacuees since the hurricane, 14 in Houston. A spokesman for HUD said they do not discuss the details of complaints.SNIP

Last month the National Fair Housing Alliance accused five apartment complexes in Texas, Florida and Alabama of discriminating against black hurricane evacuees.

The complaints filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development were made following a test survey by the group, in which white callers posing as hurricane victims were treated more favorably than black would-be applicants in 66 percent of telephone inquiries.

Rental agents informed black callers no apartments were available moments after telling white callers they had space. White callers were quoted lower rents than black callers.

Cue one of those ads for the wingnuts who proclaim Katrina wasn't any harder on blacks than whites.